The above message was in my inbox this morning, and I PROMISE you I needed to hear all of this - today! It spoke to me and to my situation so strongly that I had to share it. I know I am not the only one who struggles with this.

I have been emotional and feeling out of alignment for the past few days. I was blaming others for my emotional state and not taking any responsibility for it. I was the victim, and people were doing things to me.

After a great conversation with a dear friend yesterday, I was able to examine the part I played in all of the situations that had me down. Again, I was face to face with one of Don Miguel Ruiz's "The Four Agreements" that I continue to struggle with - I was taking things personally. Period. I was focusing my attention on the negative rather than to even acknowledge that the positive things existed. Instead of even looking at the sun peeking from behind the clouds all I could do was focus on the cloud itself.

After reflecting on the conversation with my friend, getting a good night's rest and then thinking back on the good things that happened over the past few days, I'm feeling better. I know that I have take responsibility for the thoughts that I think and where I focus my attention.

This is not an easy thing to master; to be sure, but half of the difficulty of getting these concepts under control is being aware. Awake. Wide awake. Knowing your thought patterns and "bad thinking habits" is a taking a big step towards being able to reign them in. And after you have done that, you can work towards taking responsibility for your thoughts and attention focal points and begin shifting them in a more constructive direction.

And the funny thing is, I thought I had learned that "don't take things personally" lesson. As a matter of fact, I KNOW I had learned it. At least for a minute. I guess it's the kind of lesson you have to continue to review often. Maybe I will never be able to ride this spiritual bike without training wheels. Even masters in sports, music, entertainment, etc. - still study, still train, still work on their crafts. It could just be something I will deal with and have to work on until...